After Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich vetoed $43 million in funding for alcohol and substance abuse recovery services last week, over a thousand protesters gathered to urge legislators to overrule the decision, the Chicago Journal reported July 23.

Treatment providers want the $43 million restored, as well as the $12 million in supplemental appropriation that Blagogevich has slashed. The Governor's veto cut the Illinois Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse budget in half. Another $55 million in matching funds from the federal government would be lost if Blagojevich's veto survives.

Restoring the funds would require that the Senate reconvene prior to July 31 and override the veto. The House already voted to override the veto.

The Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association has estimated that if the budget cuts remain, over 40% of the state's funding for addiction recovery will disappear.